Child of Nature
by Laiqalasse
Summary: just a moment in Fangorn Forest


Title: Child of Nature  
  
Author's Notes: I tried. I really really did. I tried to make this strait but I failed miserably. This is pure fluff. Warm fuzzy SLASH. Consider yourselves warned. It is nothing explicit but it's slash nonetheless. Sorry. Also, this is for Trinity who kept pestering me about it until I finished. Thank you. Without you I probably wouldn't have gotten around to getting it done.  
****Child of Nature****  
  
Aragorn smiled to himself as he caught sight of the golden hair. Finally he'd found his quarry. Legolas had not eaten breakfast with them, choosing instead to eat by himself, surrounded by Fangorn. Aragorn, Gimli and Gandalf had waited patiently for an hour but when Legolas did not return Aragorn had volunteered to find him. It had not taken him long to track down the Elf, but now that he'd found him, Aragorn was loathe to disturb the tableau before him.  
  
Legolas was sitting cross-legged at the foot of a mighty tree, leaning back against the bole. The gentle breeze lifted his hair and the golden strands danced in the wind. Normally the Elf would have tucked his hair back behind his pointy ears but at the moment all his attention was focused on a black squirrel sitting on his left knee. Aragorn watched, transfixed, as Legolas broke off a piece of lembas and held it out to the little creature. The squirrel reached out and took the food then stuffed it into his mouth, his little cheeks bulging. Legolas smiled and broke off another piece, but this time he didn't hold it out. The little squirrel eagerly bounced up Legolas' leg and climbed up the front of Legolas' tunic, hanging on with three paws and reaching out with the fourth. "Not until you finish what you've already got," the Elf chastised gently.  
  
Finally the little creature stopped chewing and Legolas gave the lembas to the squirrel who wrapped himself around the Elf's wrist like a furry bracelet. Legolas scratched squirrel's head and gave him yet another piece of lembas. Aragorn shook his head, knowing that if he didn't interrupt the Elf could sit feeding squirrels all day long. "Are you sure that's such a good idea? One little bite is enough to keep *you* going for a day. What will it do to that poor squirrel?"  
  
Almost faster than Aragorn could see the little creature jumped into the tree and chattered angrily at the Man. Legolas turned and glared at Aragorn for a moment before smiling resignedly. "He may be a touch more excitable for the next few days but he'll be all right. Besides, he asked for it. I take this rude interruption to mean that we are ready to leave?"  
  
Aragorn wasn't bothered by Legolas' words or tone. He had been friends with the Elf for many years and Legolas was always grumpy when torn away from nature. The Man just smiled down at his friend and offered him a hand up. "Gandalf, Gimli and myself are ready to leave, though I know you are not. After this trifling issue of the Ring of Doom is over you can feed as many squirrels as you like." Legolas grasped Aragorn's hand but before the Man could pull the Elf up he found himself lying flat on the ground. He tried to sit up but the Elf knocked him back again and pinned him down.  
  
"Perhaps I need to teach you some respect," the Elf growled into the Man's ear. "Respect and love of nature." Legolas' long blond hair fell over his shoulders, tickling Aragorn's face. The Man blew out a big puff of breath, trying to remove the strands of gold.  
  
"Oh but I do have a love of nature." He wrapped his arms around Legolas' slender waist and kissed the Elf on the nose. "I love you and you are such a child of nature that I wonder if you were actually born or if you simply grew from the earth itself." With those words the usual Elven mask of indifference fell away and Legolas' face was soft and beautiful. His eyes shined and his smile was genuine. He bowed his head and kissed Aragorn lightly but firmly.  
  
"And I love you." Suddenly he glanced up and his face softened even more. "Do you hear that? The trees are laughing at us. They say that the others are looking for us and they do not want us to be discovered in such a manner."  
  
Aragorn laughed, wondering just how much of this the trees were telling Legolas and how much his sensitive Elven ears were telling him. "Well then let me use this opportunity to respect nature's wishes by suggesting that we meet the others before they become lost."  
  
Disappointment was evident on Legolas' face though he tried to disguise it. "If you and the trees insist, then I will join you and return to Gimli and Gandalf." The Elf stood and helped Aragorn to his feet. With one last longing glance over his shoulder at the forest, Legolas led Aragorn through the trees.  
  
******** 


End file.
